


The woes that only alcohol an solve

by Booker_DeShit



Series: The autistic DeWitt's series [5]
Category: BioShock Infinite
Genre: Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst with a Happy Ending, Autistic Booker DeWitt, Autistic Elizabeth (BioShock), Blood, Blood and Injury, Booker DeWitt Needs a Hug, Depressed Booker DeWitt, Depression, Drinking, Drinking to Cope, Dysfunctional Family, Excessive Drinking, Family, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I'll die with this headcanon, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Light Angst, Mild Blood, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Some Humor, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, the depressed fuck gets one from Lizzy fortunately
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:14:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21761077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Booker_DeShit/pseuds/Booker_DeShit
Summary: Elizabeth has seen him drink, over & over again. It worries her, & yet there isn't much she can do about it. All she can do is be there for him when it gets worse.
Relationships: Booker DeWitt & Elizabeth
Series: The autistic DeWitt's series [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559641
Kudos: 9





	The woes that only alcohol an solve

There was something not quite right with Elizabeth’s companion. Not in general, well, in general too. He wasn’t really what she ever expected her saviour to be like, but beggars can’t be choosers. However, in that moment, he was acting particularly unusual. For one, his face was slowly turning green. For two, he seemed to be very dizzy, for some inexplicable reason.

“Mr DeWitt?” She spoke up, going up to him.

“Booker.” He barked out, stumbling past her.

“Oh, yes. Booker?”

“Hm?”

“Are you alright?” She placed a hand on his arm, steading him as he almost fell into a nearby wall.

“Yeah? Why?” Normally, if he said that, she would have simply let it go. Yet he looked genuinely not alright then.

“Well, you're stumbling around a lot, & your speech is slurred.” She pointed out.

“Tha's just the alcohol.” He huffed dismissingly, waving her off.

“Alcohol?” When had he drank alcohol? She was at his side at all times, & not once had she seen him drink any alcohol. She didn’t even see him going into a shop!

“You know what alcohol is, right?” Of course she did! She wasn’t a child.

“Of course I do!”

“Exactly.”

“Mr D... Booker. That doesn’t explain anything. Where did you get the alcohol from?” He didn’t answer her, just held up a flask he had pulled out from his pocket. Well, that she didn’t expect.

“I’m fine, Elizabeth.” He promised her, trying to look as convincing as possible. But he was still slurring & some of the alcohol was dripping down the side of his mouth so Elizabeth really wasn’t convinced.

“Booker, I trust you, but I really don’t think you should be drinking. We’re trying to get to the First Lady Airship after all.” She knew he already knew about their goal, but there was no harm in reminding him of it.

“Yes, I know. But we’re not in a hurry, are we?” Well, Elizabeth did want to go to Paris as soon as possible, but there was nothing wrong with taking their time.

“Well, no...”

“Then let me have this, ok? Let me have one drink, & I’ll be fine in an hour or so. Then we can continue.” Then he sat down & brought the flask out again. Elizabeth didn’t have another choice but sit beside him.

After a while of simply sitting in silence, Elizabeth finally spoke up, “Why do you drink?”

He took a while too answer, looking around Battleship Bay as he thought, “It... it makes you numb, basically. It helps you forget about bad memories.”

“Are you drinking because I asked about your family?” Booker stiffened beside her, as she apparently hit the mark.

“...Yes.”

“I’m so...”

“For god’s sake, Elizabeth!” He burst out, glaring at her, making her jump, “There’s literally no way you could have known, so quit with this ‘sorry’, crap. I don’t want your pity.” Then he hunched back over his flask, pressed it to his lips but didn’t take a drink.

“Do others pity you for it?” He didn’t answer this time, but she still knew the answer.

“I’m sick of people apologising for it. Why? It wasn’t their fault; it has nothing to do with them. Pointless.” He grumbled. Elizabeth agreed, she didn’t like this pointless & fake sympathy she so often read about. There were other ways of showing people you sympathised with them, that you cared about what they had to say. Maybe it was weird, but it was a type of weird she was fine with.

“I’ve never had a family before,” She said, “We could be each other’s family now.” Booker’s chuckle seemed fake & full of... Disbelief? Anger? Whatever it was, he didn’t seem to like her suggestion.

“You don’t want to be the family of someone like me.”

“Why not?” He seemed like such a nice person, he saved her after all.

“You just don’t.” His voice went dangerously low but Elizabeth wasn’t fazed.

“Then I’ll be here if you ever need to talk. I’m not going to try to be sympathetic, I’ll just listen,” When she knew he was looking at her, she smiled, “Maybe that would help.”

“... Thank you, Elizabeth. Thank you.”

~~==~~==~~==~~==

  
They were in Emporia at that moment, when Booker found his way into a shop. A shop that sold alcohol, it seemed, yet Elizabeth hadn’t noticed that. She was busy looking for anything really, that she could use to treat Booker with. The idiot had gone & almost got himself stabbed, & now there was a bleeding graze right on his face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Booker drink something, which she suddenly realised was alcohol, than grimace & get teary eyed.

Elizabeth remembered their previous conversation, back in Battleship Bay, about how alcohol helped him forget things & her mind immediately went to a dark place, worry & fear gripping her heart, “Booker? Do you want to talk?” She went up to him, forgetting the first aid kit she was looking for. He didn’t pull back when she placed a hand on his shoulder, but leaned in closer when she gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“No.” He answered simply, before taking another drink of his drink. Then he wiped away the tears in his eyes.

“I'm always here if you need to get something off your chest.” Elizabeth reassured him, giving him her sweetest smile. She thought she saw him give a smile back, if only just to reassure her, but it was gone so fast she really wasn’t sure if it was even real.

“It's not that.” He shook his head. He reach out to ruffle her hair, his hand lingering on the top of her head.

“Then why are you crying?”

“Because this drink is so disgusting.” He choked out, then took another drink. He physically gagged, pulling away from Elizabeth, just in case.

“Then why are you still drinking it?” She pulled it out of his grasp, looking at him incredulously.

Booker shrugged, “I dunno,” He didn’t fight when Elizabeth pulled it away from him, but he did put his hand to his cheek, “It’s good for the pain, I guess. Plus, I’m thirsty.” Elizabeth threw the bottle somewhere behind her. Then she went scavenging again. Another part of their conversation came back to her when she looked. After all of that time, after so many truths & lies both, she felt like she knew him better than she knew herself. After everything she had witnessed him do, she didn’t think of him differently from how she did back in Battleship Bay.

“Booker?” He wandered back up to her when he heard his name, finding a chair to sit on & give her space to work. She set on fixing that cut on his cheek, thinking about how to start up the conversation.

“Gah.” He flinched when she applied the rubbing alcohol.

“Sorry. And I mean it.”

“What? Mean what?”

“Unlike in Battleship Bay,” He gave a hum that he heard her, but didn’t say anything in response, “I am actually sorry. It’s not pity.”

“Yeah, that’s what you usually mean when you hurt someone accidentally.” He huffed.

“We could be a family, Booker.” She suddenly said.

“Elizabeth, I told you already...”

“And I’ve seen what you can do, I know what happened at Wounded Knee. And I still want to be your family,” He glared at her again, just like that time in Battleship Bay, but she didn’t back down this time, “Neither of us have anyone but each other. I need you, Booker. And you need me.”

“Elizabeth, please...Ah!” She didn’t let him finish, wrapping her hands around his head in a hug.

“Please, Booker.” She begged him. He only sighed, but he wrapped his arms around her, giving her a squeeze.

“You’re choice. I warned you.” He mumbled.

“I take full responsibility.” Elizabeth answered with a laugh.

“Good.” And he chuckled too. It was quiet & muffled, a short release of breath, but it was still there.

“Now, let’s fix your cheek up. And please try not to get stabbed again.” She pulled back, & huffed when she noticed the red stain spreading over her corset.

Booker rolled his eyes, “I’m not making any promises.”

“Booker!” He burst into uproarious laughter; it brought a smile to Elizabeth’s face. As she carried on cleaning the cut, even with Booker shaking in his seat with laughter, Elizabeth opened a tear behind her, & let the rest of the alcohol in the shop fall away into another world, where it couldn't hurt her new family.   



End file.
